A sunny day of July 1232...
"Uncle William, what is the positive aspect of splitting an arrow by shooting it?"
"It proves that you are the best archer, my dear"
"I cannot find anything interesting in archery, Uncle William"
"Don't underestimate archery, Anais. A skilled archer could shoot you dead before you acknowledge it. Let me show you..."
Will Scarlet strained the bowstring and aimed at a shrub. He then released his fingers out of the arrow, and it flew straight into the target. When he came to retrieve the arrow, Little Anais saw a rabbit had been impaled dead.
"Maybe to-night we will have some nice rabbit stew", said Will Scarlet.
"I prefer rabbit pie"
Will Scarlet turned to look at Little Anais with an awkward sight then fairly shook his head.
"Lady Sylvia, why did you name the girl after a great archer while archery doesn't have any attraction to her?", murmured him.
Since the death of his uncle and his master, Robin Hood, Will Scarlet was now serving as a mentor and protector for his master's friend's child. The Sherwood Forest's outlaws had been disbanded and many had left Nottingham, only Will and Robin Hood's lieutenant, Little John, stayed in Nottingham by their master's last will. Entrusted by Lord Timbley, every day Will would come to teach the little girl what she needs and how to protect herself. However, archery wasn't Little Anais's favourite.
"Although they were both named Anais, but I didn't think that this Anais was born to be an archer like that Anais", murmured Will.
Thinking he should change the subject, so he drew out his dull broadsword and asked:
"Although I wasn't skilled in fencing but... didn't you want to learn this, Little Anais? This sword hadn't been used since my master died"
"Fencing? Teach me, teach me, Uncle William! I would like to learn! It seems less boring than archery", excited Little Anais, "and, uhm, who is your master? You did have a master, Uncle William?"
Will looked deep into the forest, proudly replied:
"Yes, he is a legendary archer of Sherwood Forest, a Queen's knight"
"Doesn't it matter if you teach me fencing now, Uncle William?"
"Shall we practise with wooden staff, Little Anais? If you get hurt, I will get some huge trouble from Lord Timbley"
Then, Will cut for him and his little apprentice two staffs from an oak tree's branches. A thought chasing inside his mind, why he accepted to be Little Anais protector and mentor but didn't ask his master's lieutenant to take it instead. Anyway, Little John was always better than him in fencing and staff-duelling.
"Fencing is literally sword-duelling, however, it differs from ordinary sword-duelling by its techniques..."
Will held the staff by its one end with a hand, then pointed it straight forward and got into preparing state. Little Anais as was told, did the same.
"Listen: the common move in fencing, differs from normal sword-duelling is thrusting technique. I was told by your father that it'd better teaching archery than fencing as even I wasn't skilled in it... Is it fine, Little Anais?"
"It will be fine. I am no longer a child, I am eleven now", said Anais while trying to be mature in front of her mentor.
"I said the same when I was your age to my uncle Robin. And you know what, he knocked me out when we was training like this"
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Anais Timbley - A deadly beauty
Historical FictionBorn as the child from the ill-fated but dreamy affair between a nobleman and a peasant-born lady, Anais had the title of a noblewoman but lived her childhood as simple as a commoner in her parents cottage on the outskirts of Sherwood Forest. Grown...
